To have all the information in this world would have been Halo's wet dream.
He'd touched on a few weighty topics with Frey: Nemesis, Sin Shards, and Wishes.
Though he couldn't explore them thoroughly with Frey—his wooden sword training called—he found himself confronted with these same subjects in class.
Was this his lucky break? Hardly. He started wishing his ears were playing tricks on him.
***
At the podium stood a dark-haired woman, about Clever's age, her bosoms drawing every eye in the hall. Her black uniform was tailored so closely to her form that it was hard to distinguish whether she wore the same regulation attire as the others. Kinney.
"Once you awaken, you'll get a personal system that tracks your stats. Only you can access it… it's yours alone." Kinney said, her tone calm and gentle, yet somewhat seductive.
"Many of you who wasted your time on video games or novels will recognize this. Congratulations, your fantasies are now your prison."
Chuckles and softer laughs echoed between the walls following Kinney's sarcastic remarks.
However, Halo remained motionless, elbows propped against his desk with his chin resting on his fists. He maintained his usual seat, between Liam and Aelia, as his eyes tracked Kinney. He absorbed each of her words.
"Within the system, there are some things that can't be disclosed." Kinney's tone was far from seductive this time. It was dark.
"Your wishes and titles."
Halo gulped. Frey had already warned him about the gravity of wishes. Wishes were bestowed by the system after each completed purpose.
Part of him was relieved to hear wishes could be granted; he could wish for immortality or perhaps avoid this entire predicament. But he knew he was being naive, and Frey had been insistent about that.
"The only control you have over a wish is the ability to choose. If you're given more than one option, that is."
Halo smirked following Kinney's words.
What was he expecting? This was the gods' game; nothing was free.
"A wish can be anything. It can bless you with a god-like power beside your awakening… or mock you with something as pitiful as a sip of water to keep you alive another day." Kinney smirked and shrugged her shoulders.
"That's only if the gods are kind enough to place it among the options."
Before Halo could process those words, Kinney spoke again. Her expression darkened beyond the initial look.
"But… a wish can't be refused, and it can never be disclosed. Never."
Seraph rose to her feet, maintaining her usual dramatic entrance. A slam to her desk and enough force that always made her curvy form giggle.
"We can't refuse? Does that mean it could grant wishes we don't even want?"
Kinney stared at Seraphim for a moment, her arms folded across her ample chest.
"Yes… when given two options, you pick one, and when given only one, you choose it… that's the law of the wish."
Kinney gestured for Seraph to sit back down, and the moment she did, Kinney Spoke:
"The wish can be merciful at times but monstrous when it chooses."
Halo's grin grew darker. Now he understood. Every mechanism in this world existed to make the gods' game more compelling.
You could end up cornered after fulfilling a purpose, and the system might decide to throw you a lifeline through a wish or twist the knife deeper. Interesting.
"Obviously, it can't be shared. The gods would never pass up the chance to make us enemies." He muttered.
"Yes… yes," Aelia's shy voice grabbed his attention from the left. Halo smiled.
"What happens if we don't choose? Will we die?" A voice from the crowd asked.
Kinney's stern expression softened into a smile as she approached the boy. She traced her fingers deliberately along his cheeks, watching his face flush crimson.
"That's the last mistake you'll ever want to make, baby boy… leaving a purpose undone, a wish unchosen. Trust me, you wouldn't even stomach the sight of what comes next."
Halo's eyes narrowed as he watched the boy become flustered by Kinney's touch. A wish that couldn't be shared or ignored, a purpose that couldn't be left unfulfilled.
This new life of his was going to be a long ride. Indeed, he wasn't about to test his fate in the gods' hands. At least, not now.
"The next thing that can't be disclosed is a title," Kinney said, leaving the horny boy to step on the podium.
"When you awaken, a title will be bestowed. It is more than a name; it marks who you are and which god claims you." Kinney made a dramatic pause, causing her bosoms to giggle.
"Each of you will be bound to a nemesis. Some won't get theirs right after awakening, but as you climb the ranks. Awakened. Assassin. Sovereign. You will face them."
A nemesis? The world had already labeled them all nemeses, so why single out specific ones? What kind of influence would their assigned nemesis wield? Death?
"Your nemesis? Just one. They'll know only your title. The rest… well, when the system decides your purpose, you'll understand."
Halo's expression darkened further, his thoughts racing in circles. How would you even find your nemesis? And would you be their nemesis in return?
No… that couldn't be it.
The gods wanted them to be suspicious of each other. They wouldn't know their nemesis's identity until they heard the title, making trust nearly impossible. Your most trusted companion could very well be the one fated to kill you.
"You could, in theory, be their nemesis back. In practice? Almost never." Kinney shrugged her shoulders. "It's not only about finding your nemesis… it's about finding the one who's hunting you as theirs."
Halo's grim expression gradually shifted into a smile. With nemeses structured like this, even those who lacked one still had to watch their backs.
His smile grew wider with sudden understanding.
Sharing titles wasn't actually forbidden by the system; it was just considered the safest route. Since everyone had their own unique mechanisms, they'd have to reveal their title to lure their enemy in.
But hold on… wouldn't that be the safest move? If everyone knew your title, only your designated hunter would pursue you. Unless…
"Sometimes, sharing your title brings more danger than the nemesis itself." Kinney smirked. "No one knows what the system will demand of their nemesis… don't be foolish."
Halo sighed and shook his head. He kept forgetting this was a realm of gods and magic. When he thought about it, every mechanism was designed to work with the others.
Wishes. Magic. Your secrets probably weren't secret at all.
"What about the Sin Shards? What are they?" A girl before Halo asked.
Kinney began massaging her muscles as though she was done with the class.
"As for that, you'll face it tomorrow… once you survive your mission with the Sinners," The words left her lazily as she began to leave the room.
Halo sank back into his seat. The sinners, of course. All this information had almost driven that from his mind.
This was why he couldn't delve deeper with Frey yesterday; training called.
He wouldn't make the same naive mistakes that cost him the duel against Seraphim. He would sharpen his abilities.
Not for vengeance. For survival in this nightmare.